We kicked our coverage of 2014 off with a touch of crystal ball gazing.

Experts predicted 'many sectors will deliver growth' but challenges would remain for small and medium sized businesses.

With the benefit of hindsight they were pretty much spot on.

The big stories and issues we focused on in the first third of the year involved concerns over skills shortages, the region's booming hotel sector, a bricks crisis in the building trade, the wonder that is graphene, the news of a direct flight service between Manchester and Hong Kong and following the progress of Manchester mutual The Co-Operative Group.

Here's our review of January - April 2014.

January

Mind the Gap

As part of a 'Made in Manchester' project the M.E.N. and Greater Manchester Business Week celebrated the world-leading products manufactured in this area.

In a special report Greater Manchester Business Week laid bare the scale of the region's skills gap, following the release of new research.

Nine sectors identified as problem areas were explored including logistics, construction, health and social care, retail and advanced manufacturing.

Later on in January, there was much more positive news - coming from the hotel sector.

Data confirming a room boom in the city centre was released showing hotels were nearly filled to the brim during 2013.

It also came after PwC predicted there will be 15,000 hotel rooms in Manchester within the next two-and-a-half years.

Commercial property firm Bruntwood said it was gearing up for its busiest ever year after announcing that full-year pre-tax profits for 2013 rose by almost 50 per cent.

The family-run company, which has more than 110 office buildings across Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Birmingham, saw profit before tax jump from £12.4m to £16.8m on a turnover of £106.3m.

February

AO founder and chief executive John Roberts

February saw us report on the Manchester team - at the Insolvency Service's city centre base - looking to make the UK a fair place to do business.

We also carried out a case study on Lupine Travel, which specialises in selling holidays in notoriously dangerous places like North Korea and Iraq.

The top 50 companies in the region for growth were revealed by us during the month.

And AO founder John Roberts pocketed £86m as his Bolton-based white goods company floated on the stock market. The 40-year-old (pictured) had started the online retailer for a bet in a pub 14 years before the float.

A plea was made by Greater Manchester figureheads to release the region from the shackles of government.

Sir Richard Leese, Eamonn Boylan, Michael Oglesby and Mike Blackburn came together at the inaugural hearing of the national City Growth Commission in Manchester, which was chaired by Gatley-born economist Jim O'Neill.

They issued a rallying call for government to loosen the chains and give them the freedom to unleash 'the magic of cities'.

Meanwhile Manchester United admitted its Premier League position - under the now sacked manager David Moyes - was disappointing, and announced record revenues for the three months to December 31 2013 totalling £122.9m.

We also revealed that a brick shortage had the potential to hold back a house building boom in Greater Manchester.

Despite the construction sector growing at its fastest rate in seven years, driven primarily by a large number of new home schemes, building firms said they were struggling to source enough of the essential raw material.

They said it was hindering construction companies’ ability to deliver projects on-time and on-budget.

To finish off February in style business reporter Shelina Begum focused on fashion firm Misguided amid its plans to smash the £100m sales barrier with a new collection designed around ex-X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger.

March

Firms from across the region gathered to celebrate the first ever Fastest 50 awards in March.

The event, held at the Museum of Science and Industry, was organised by the M.E.N’s sister title Greater Manchester Business Week and law firm Ward Hadaway to highlight companies that have shown the biggest growth in recent years.

Before the prizes were dished out representatives from all 50 nominated firms watched a video from the Chancellor George Osborne and speeches from MEN Media’s Steve Anderson-Dixon, Jamie Martin, of Ward Hadaway and Ed Cox, of think tank, the Institute for Public Policy Research, who was the keynote speaker.

In Greater Manchester Business Week we explored how Manchester and Liverpool are working together to improve the chances of prosperity. The feature followed on from our coverage of the MIPIM property festival.

And the Chancellor announced the 2014 Budget which included an increase in research and development tax rates, a boost for apprenticeships and a £7bn package to reduce energy bills for manufacturers.

April

Following the well documented Co-operative Bank crisis we looked at how big a task turning round the troubled Manchester mutual would be.

Experts told us the group needed to work from the top down, simplify its approach, move away from banking, refocus on values, restore trust and get the retail right.

The news of a direct flight service between Manchester and Hong Kong also materialised in April, with Cathay Pacific making the announcement that was sure to boost trade and tourism in the region.

The family shoe repair to key cutting firm Timpson said it will open 100 new outlets in 2014 after it announced a record profit.

The group, based in Wythenshawe, reported a pre-tax profit of £14.5m in the year to September 31, 2013, up from £10.1m in 2012. That was on sales of £144.6m, up from £136.5m.

Chairman John Timpson told the M.E.N. that up to four new shops will be unveiled each week in 2014, in conjunction with supermarket giants Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda.

As well as catching up with the founder of Costumes With Character - who make Manchester United's Fred the Red and Manchester City's mascots - Greater Manchester Business Week was able to announce that the target to get north west businesses to increase exports had been smashed.